Moana Impact Studio was born out of a deep commitment to Pacific people, places, and possibilities.

We are a purpose-driven consultancy that champions culturally grounded practice, ethical leadership, and systems change that centres Indigenous and Pacific knowledges.

Founded by Tofa Amanda Moors-Mailei, a Samoan-Australian leader in education equity, Pacific advocacy, and systems transformation, Moana Impact Studio draws on two decades of experience across the education sector, government, philanthropy, and grassroots communities.

At its heart, Moana Impact Studio is a bridge.
A bridge between systems and cultures.
Between institutions and communities.
Between aspiration and action.

We established to support Australian society; universities, schools, public and private sector organisations, and non-profits, to better understand, engage with, and design culturally responsive research, outreach, and leadership. Our approach is not only informed by lived experience and community knowledge, but also shaped by evidence, integrity, and deep relationships.

We believe that meaningful change must be co-designed, relational, and grounded in culture. Moana Impact Studio exists to help make that possible.

Tofa Amanda Moors-Mailei, Founder & Principal Consultant

TofaAmanda Moors-Mailei is the Manager of Indigenous Outreach at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, University of Technology Sydney. In this role, Amanda leads the design and delivery of UTS Indigenous outreach strategy. This includes initiatives and programs to increase access and participation  for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at UTS. Her work focuses on illuminating, deconstructing, and actively countering systemic injustices in education to support student participation, retention and success.

Amanda is a Founding Director of the Australian Pasifika Educators Network (APEN), a national network advocating for culturally sustaining policy and practice in education. She also serves as the Executive Lead, Pacific for Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Association (EPHEA), where she established the Te Moana Reference Group - a collective of Pacific equity practitioners and academics supporting EPHEA’s work through a Pacific lens.

Amanda is a proud Samoan woman with ancestral ties to the villages of Lepea, Saleufi, Siumu, Faga, and Fagamalo. She holds the Chiefly Title 'Tofa' bestowed in 2023 from Saipipi, Savaii. She brings two decades of leadership experience in equity and inclusion and is deeply committed to culturally responsive practice, racial justice, and the transformative power of education.

At Moana Impact Studio, we work alongside organisations, institutions, and communities to enhance their practice and deepen their cultural responsiveness.

Our services are designed to support those seeking to embed Pacific knowledges, build respectful engagement, and create systems-level change that is ethical, inclusive, and transformative.

What We Offer

↳ Strategic Advisory & Cultural Insight
We guide organisations to shape strategies, frameworks, and policies that honour Pacific ways of knowing, being, and doing — ensuring cultural integrity from vision to implementation.

↳ Culturally Grounded Program & Initiative Design
We co-design education, equity, and community programs that reflect Pacific values, respond to community needs, and deliver meaningful, measurable outcomes.

↳ Research Collaboration & Evaluation
We support research and evaluation processes that are strengths-based, community-led, and ethically grounded in Pacific knowledge systems and cultural protocols.

↳ Professional Learning & Development
We deliver workshops, keynote sessions, and tailored learning experiences that build your team’s capability in cultural responsiveness, Pacific engagement, and inclusive leadership.

↳ Facilitation & Community Engagement
We create and hold safe, relational spaces for talanoa, collective visioning, and co-designed solutions that build trust and mutual accountability between institutions and Pacific communities.

Amanda’s research interests centre on Pacific, Pasifika, and First Nations peoples, student success, equity in higher education, and culturally responsive and sustaining practice. She is particularly focused on understanding and addressing the structural barriers facing Indigenous and Pacific learners in accessing and succeeding in university, and amplifying community-driven narratives of aspiration, resilience, and transformation.

Her work is grounded in anti-racist, decolonial, and community-engaged approaches, with a strong commitment to Indigenous and Pacific research methodologies. Amanda is passionate about writing and reshaping the narrative landscape for underrepresented communities in Australian education.

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Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Developing a co-designed, culturally responsive physical activity program for Pasifika communities in Western Sydney, Australia
Health Promotion International (2025)
https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daae197
Contributors: Oscar Lederman, Amanda Moors-Mailei, Yvonne Peacock, Grace McKeon, Alessandro Llana, David Burns, Simon Rosenbaum, Cristina M. Caperchione

Navigating VET to university: Students’ perceptions of their transition to university study
Student Success (2015)
https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.v6i2.289
Contributors: Tracy Barber, Clare Netherton, Alicia Bettles, Amanda Moors-Mailei

Reports

Pasifika Communities in Australia: 2021 Census
(2023)
https://doi.org/10.26183/9QBB-CY24
Contributors: Gabriella Gerace, Rhonda Itaoui, Tofa Amanda Moors-Mailei, Bronwyn Williams, Paniani Patu, Vaoiva Natapu-Ponton

Research Grants & Funded Projects

What We Don’t Know, Will Hurt Us – An Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk Among Pasifika Communities in Western Sydney
Apr 2025 – Sep 2026
Funder: UTS Collaboration Seed Grant
Lead: Oscar Lederman | Co-investigator: Tasi Tevaga A, Goode E, Moors-Mailei A, Peacock, Y.
A health equity project evaluating cardiovascular risks and community-led prevention strategies for Pasifika communities.

Say Our Names
Mar 2024 – Dec 2024
Funder: UTS Strategic Collaboration Seed Funding
Lead: Dr Zozan Balci | Co-investigator: Amanda Moors-Mailei, Dr Elaine Laforteza, Lucia Bautista, Rodrigo Perez Toledo.

Amanda’s work is driven by a passion for educational justice and a strong belief in the power of access to quality education to transform lives and communities. She is committed to creating equitable and culturally sustaining pathways for Indigenous and Pacific learners and ensuring their voices are seen, heard, and valued within the higher education system.  

In 2017, Amanda designed the UTS Humanitarian Scholarship Program, growing it from just two students to over 100 on full tuition scholarships. Knowing the sacrifices these students have made, the dreams they’ve held onto, and the future they can now start to imagine makes this work deeply meaningful. Amanda believes this program has positioned UTS as a sector leader in refugee and humanitarian access and success in Australian higher education.

Amanda also led the establishment of UTS Pacific Programs and Initiatives - from co-founding the very first UTS Pasifika Society in 2013 to laying the groundwork for over 50 Pacific students to commence undergraduate studies in 2026 through the U@Uni Academy. These co-designed campus experiences, in-school leadership programs, and mentoring initiatives have helped Pacific learners and their families see UTS as a university of choice. Amanda is now leading discussion to map a whole-of-university UTS Pacific Strategy, strengthening UTS’ relationship with Pacific communities across Australia and the region. 

Over the last decade, Amanda has worked to increase visibility of equity pathways and scholarships, helping students, families, and communities understand that their stories matter - and that there is more than one way to access university. Her leadership continues to shape inclusive practice and policy across UTS, grounded in community, care, and the belief in the transformational power of education.

Highlights

• Co-founder of Australian Pasifika Educators Network (APEN)

• Cultural Competency Workshops with schools and institutions

• Strategic Lead – UTS Indigenous & Pacific Outreach

• Contributor to national advocacy on Pacific student success

• Public speaker and panellist on topics of equity, race, education, and leadership